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"Your Best Life Now" - Official Positive Vibes Thread

I've been reading the Joel Osteen book "Your Best Life Now" for a couple of weeks now (on and off), and its a book that brings so much positive vibes to my life. So I thought I should share his words with my KO people.

In this thread I'm going to be posting words from his website and the books. If y'all got positive words from him or other great preachers, post it up.

Hopefully everyone finds his words to be helpful, just like I did. Be great y'all.

One day a man had an accident while driving to work. He got out of the car and yelled at the other driver, "Lady! You need to learn how to drive. You're the fourth person that's hit me today."

In life, we can get to a point sometimes where, like this man, we're always pointing fingers and placing the blame on others. But there comes a time when we need to look inside and say, "Maybe I'm the one that needs to change."

If you're finding fault all the time and developing a habit of seeing the bad rather than the good, if you're skeptical and have trained yourself to be cynical and sarcastic rather than believing the best, if you're constantly blaming everyone for everything that's going wrong in your life, then maybe it's time to look inward instead of at others.

Just like the man who had the accident while driving to work; if he had been hit four times in one day, obviously, he's the one doing something wrong!

One thing I've learned is a critical spirit will follow you everywhere you go. You can't get away from it. You can leave one job angry, upset and bitter and go around saying, "They didn't treat me right." "My boss doesn't know what he's doing." "Nobody can do anything right." But if you don't deal with the root issue, you'll have the same problem at the next job or in your next relationship. You'll still think everybody is against you. It's because the problem is inward and not outward.

love what Jesus said to people that were always placing the blame on others and looking at what others need to fix all the time instead of looking at their own lives. He said, "Get the telephone pole out of your eye before you try to get the toothpick out of your brother's eye." What He was saying is, "Look inside. Deal with your own issues. Spend your time trying to improve your own life, and you'll have a whole lot less time for being critical and judgmental."

When I come to the end of my days and stand before God, and He says, "Joel, what did you do with the time that I entrusted you with? How did you use the gifts that I gave you?"

I would hate to have to say, "God, I spent my life criticizing others, knocking people down and trying to make them look bad, placing the blame on others and stirring everything up."

I have a hard time believing that God is going to say, "Well done, you good and faithful servant. You did just what I asked!"

No, I imagine God is going to say, "Do me a favor. Clean your own window; look inward before you come up here. If not, before long, you'll be finding fault with Me."

Today, you can make the switch. You can work on cleaning your own windows. You can wipe away the judgment, criticism, and fault finding, which may be the things that have held you back for years. Love believes the best in others. It always sees the good. And when there is blame or a fault to be found, instead of looking outward, first look inward.

Don't be afraid to look inward and humble yourself before God. After all, when we're humble, we give God the opportunity to promote and bless us.

1 Peter 5:6
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." (KJV)

The Message says, "So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."

One day a man had an accident while driving to work. He got out of the car and yelled at the other driver, "Lady! You need to learn how to drive. You're the fourth person that's hit me today."

In life, we can get to a point sometimes where, like this man, we're always pointing fingers and placing the blame on others. But there comes a time when we need to look inside and say, "Maybe I'm the one that needs to change."

If you're finding fault all the time and developing a habit of seeing the bad rather than the good, if you're skeptical and have trained yourself to be cynical and sarcastic rather than believing the best, if you're constantly blaming everyone for everything that's going wrong in your life, then maybe it's time to look inward instead of at others.

Just like the man who had the accident while driving to work; if he had been hit four times in one day, obviously, he's the one doing something wrong!

One thing I've learned is a critical spirit will follow you everywhere you go. You can't get away from it. You can leave one job angry, upset and bitter and go around saying, "They didn't treat me right." "My boss doesn't know what he's doing." "Nobody can do anything right." But if you don't deal with the root issue, you'll have the same problem at the next job or in your next relationship. You'll still think everybody is against you. It's because the problem is inward and not outward.

I think Joel Osteen is a good motivational speaker but when you put him up against a real evangelist his material seems to appear attenuated and watered down.

Here's a good example:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I don't think it's watered down, more like "broad," just like they say in the youtube clip you put up. The thing that I like about Joel Osteen is that he doesn't shove religion down your throat like other preachers. It was one of the major reasons I started reading his book and watching his sermons on T.V.

At the same time, I do admire how all these preachers say positive words that encourage people. They give hope to people that may be down on their luck so that they can stay positive and strive for greatness.

I don't think it's watered down, more like "broad," just like they say in the youtube clip you put up. The thing that I like about Joel Osteen is that he doesn't shove religion down your throat like other preachers. It was one of the major reasons I started reading his book and watching his sermons on T.V.

At the same time, I do admire how all these preachers say positive words that encourage people. They give hope to people that may be down on their luck so that they can stay positive and strive for greatness.

Joel Osteen isn't a terrible evangelist and neither do I have anything against people that look up to him.Osteen just doesn't like to bring up the biblical principles of Original sin, Satan and evil,the judgment and wrath of God in his sermons.He even went on Larry King live a couple of times and evaded the responsibility of having to use the scripture of (John 14:6) against a Mormon who wasn't saved.He has no previous theological training since he's only attended one biblical seminary class throughout his lifetime.Sometimes I believe that the man passively reads a text in the bible and takes it out of context just so he can give the millions of his followers a pep talk of material that you would normally find in a text book filled with practical psychology.

Whenever I think about Joel Osteen this bible verse springs up in my mind."For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."(2 Timothy 4:3).I wouldn't necessarily go as far as calling Osteen a false prophet but being an evangelical isn't suppose to be something appealing or attractive to the masses.

The job of a Christian and a deliverer of God's word is to preach the full gospel even if it means being unpopular or hated by the people that are around you.The salvation for those people who are bound to experience the wrath of God should be much more important than winning them over to your congregation.As loving and compassionate as Jesus was when he was on this Earth he never backed down from telling the Pharisees and the sinners of his day how sinful they were and how much they needed to avoid the wrath of God and the tragedy of spending an eternity in Hell.Jesus even warned us about the unpopularity that the christian would receive in (John 15:18) when he said," If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first".If Jesus required all of us to deliver the gospel the way that Joel Osteen delivers it he would have never warned us about being hated by most of the people that are around us.

How many of the early Christians were martyred and killed because they went against the status quo and against what was acceptable during their time? And he we are in the 21st century worrying about offending people and scaring them away with the gospel? The early Christians would laugh at the average American evangelical if they saw how he handled the responsibilities that God entrusted him with.

I find it ironic how Osteen's book is entitled,"Your Best Life Now".Again,I have nothing against people who read his books but what if an unsaved person is trying to live his best life, gets hit by a car and wakes up in Hell? What if that same person has to confront God on the day of judgment and he tells God that the reason he didn't repent of his sins was because he thought that the way to heaven was living the best and most satisfying life that he could possibly live when he was on earth? This is why people have to know the difference between what the bible has to say about their sinful nature and what Joel Osteen preaches to them and not ignore the wrath of God just because it goes against their desire to do what's pleasing in their own eyes.The bible never talks about the Kingdom of God being a crowded place nor does it say that many people will make it there.Only a very small amount of people will inherit it because very few people could realize that they're sinners,repent of their sins,pick up their crosses and follow God.

I hope that Joel Osteen realizes all of these things and begins to change his approach instead of worrying about the large amount of books that he sells and having one of the biggest church congregations in America.

That is why I said that Joel Osteen is a good motivational speaker.I own a copy of "Your Best Life Now" and have attended his events.But I only have done these things with the sole intention of receiving some psychological or emotional benefit out of it.

"We are designed to build each other up and to encourage; we were all created to love and to be loved. God has given us relationships to help us grow. He knows that sometimes all we need is a little encouragement. Then we can confidently step out in faith and become who He created us to be.
All of us need someone to build us up at times. God created us to need each other. He wants us to help each other reach our highest potential. First Thessalonians 5:11 says, "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."
When we believe the best in someone, we draw out their best, so I encourage you to invest in someone. Listen to their dreams. Study their gifts and find out what their strengths are. Then encourage them in those areas. Just like God sees things in you, you may see something they don't see in themselves.

Take the time to build them up. A simple word of encouragement can give them the confidence they need to take that step of faith. You can plant seeds of hope in the lives of your friends and family. Your words can build a co-worker's confidence and challenge them to go to a higher level.
God wants to see you reach your destiny and achieve your goals, and part of that journey includes helping others along the way. He may put someone in your life who is starving for approval. God can use you to affirm that person. He wants to use you to make them feel valued and appreciated.
What seeds are you planting in the lives of others? If you're believing in others, think of ways to motivate them and bring out their best (Hebrews 10:24). Learn to speak faith, vision and blessing into their lives. Find out what God has put in their heart. Let them know that you're behind them.
Be on the lookout for others you can encourage. First Thessalonians 3:12 says, "And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows." Share God's promises of hope, love and truth with others. You can help make someone's life better."

Please read this and research Osteen

Originally Posted by SLY1984

I've been reading the Joel Osteen book "Your Best Life Now" for a couple of weeks now (on and off), and its a book that brings so much positive vibes to my life. So I thought I should share his words with my KO people.

In this thread I'm going to be posting words from his website and the books. If y'all got positive words from him or other great preachers, post it up.

Hopefully everyone finds his words to be helpful, just like I did. Be great y'all.

Sly I hate to ruin your day but Joel Osteen has many problems in his preaching. He never preaches about sin, repentance, and this is why he has such a large following.

I use to follow Osteen and realized that this guy is a fraud in sheep's clothing. Seriously. It's called "feel-good" preaching. I am a Biblical Evangelical Christian and I know this to be fact.

People like you don't want to here about your sinning or how your sin can affect your life, or how sin can lead you away from salvation so you tune in to guys like Joel Osteen who make you feel good even when your not on the right path.

CHeck out these videos.

Osteen's main problem:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Osteen did not even acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation....he said "I can't judge someone's heart I don't really know if this person or that person is going to heaven"
Joel then was asked if his way, which should be that Christ is the only way, if someone had a different view if they are really going to heaven and Osteen said "Well I really don't look at it like that"

Clearly Osteen doesn't accept and/or he doesn't beleive in repentance and that Christ is the only way.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the light, no one can get to Father except through Me."
Osteen just rejected that in his quote....this is what is called Modern Christianity...a growing movement of feel good preaching that Christians are getting into because they have hard lives and need someone to say it's all fine and dandy.

Life is not fine and dandy and it will never be easy as long as you are faithful in Christ, this is why Joel Osteen never preaches about Satan because if he did it would bring fear to people and with fear his whole ministry is questioned because then people aren't feeling so good knowing that they sin and someone is after their soul.

Paul Washer explains why preachers like Osteen are so famous and have a huge following, watch this as an introduction and then watch the video at the bottom of my post. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Sin is a humongous part in life and sinning alone can determine if we go to Heaven or Hell because by sinning you are rejecting God's Word....the fact that Osteen is famous and does not preach this is mind blowing and shows you that there must be a problem. What is he really teaching?

If your life is great then you should re check your faith because all Christians who are truly following the Word of God will have trials and tribulations, persecutions, countless times being mocked, all this will go for through out their entire life. Osteen acts as if you follow certain steps, excluding preaching about sinning and repentance, that you can have a hppy life, yea maybe being a blind man with a smile on Earth will make you feel happy but in the eyes of God you are deceived because your not following his Word.

I am not trying to scare you or attack you, i am teaching you because Osteen is leading millions in the wrong direction with this feel good preaching that has so many flaws in it that are not biblical.

Paul Washer: The difference between Feel Good Osteen and a preacher who preaches the true gospel:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Osteen's followers

Osteen tries to put the Christian into the same mix with the ungodly as say that we can all live together in harmony...this is not biblical.

If you don't fear Hell then you are not a Christian....Osteen never preaches about Hell....I pray to God that Osteen's followers realize this.

Listen to guys like Paul Washer, David Wilkerson...guys that preach about sinning and repentance as the base of their teaching and show how the modern church is just as deceived as the Atheist in this world.

I hope your not like this girl: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Paul Washer, whoever he is, comes off like a hater. He really dedicated a day or two of his life to bashing Olsteen? But, then again, I guess that is his doctrine, excluding people: Muslims and Buddhists are two he mentioned himself.

As for Olsteen, I have actually seen him on TV. The guy seems very friendly, sincere, earnest about his beliefs. And I have to commend him for refusing to, for example, bash Mormons, when he was asked if he believed they were Christians (a question he was asked in relation to Mitt Romney and his presidential run).

However, like the rest of the Christian preachers I have heard, there is profundity lacking in his message. In his story, as posted by sly1984, he spends time confusing the critic with cynic: 1. A cynic is someone who believes that people always act selfishly. 2. A critic is a person who writes, and expresses opinions, about things such as books, films, music, or art.

Clearly, there is nothing wrong with being a critic: it merely denotes one giving one's opinion. It actually seems like a good thing, to me. Being a cynic, however, is a serious problem, because, according to the definition of a cynic, as a cynic, you "always believe people act selfishly."

Summary: Washer is an angry, divisive jerk, who believes in a spiritual hierarchy of human beings, along with, I am sure, death panels, Obama having been born in Kenya, ACORN, NWO, etc. Olsteen is a shallow televangelist, with a sixth grade message.

Solution: Lord Buddha's Wisdom, from the Dhammapada text...

Dear Mr. Olsteen,

"Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace." -The Buddha

Dear Mr. Washer,

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule." -The Buddha

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." -The Buddha

Osteen tries to put the Christian into the same mix with the ungodly as say that we can all live together in harmony...this is not biblical.

If you don't fear Hell then you are not a Christian....Osteen never preaches about Hell....I pray to God that Osteen's followers realize this.

Listen to guys like Paul Washer, David Wilkerson...guys that preach about sinning and repentance as the base of their teaching and show how the modern church is just as deceived as the Atheist in this world.

I hope your not like this girl: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

He may not be YOUR TYPE of Christian but he certainly is Christian. That is the problem with religion in general and specifically Evangelicals. You all think you know the truth and JUDGE others based on your narrow understanding of the world around you. It does not matter how good of a person you are, what deeds you do in life because you go to hell if you don't accept Jesus as your savior. What a convenient ideology...I can sin my entire life but if I accept Jesus on my death bed all is forgiven. In that twisted ideology a serial killer who raped and ate little boys can go to heaven provided he accepts Jesus but the Jew or Muslim that lead an honest moral life is condemned to burn simply because he didn't recognize your specific messiah as god. Why would anyone want to ascribe to such a belief that puts ritual above whats in ones heart? Further what about the millions who were not exposed to Jesus? Are they condemned to an eternity of torture just because someone grew up in the Amazon without Jesus or in some tribe in Africa?

I am quite confident if there is a god that he knows what is in ones heart and is not so insecure as to punish someone for ETERNITY for not recognizing a specific story as truth. Don't you understand that these ideas were created by man and a church who competed with other ideologies for power and influence? Can't you see that an effective way to gain members is to scare people and assert that their church is the only way to god? Your beliefs are in direct conflict with the actual philosophy Jesus exposed. You cling on to the words of man while ignoring the greater truths that Jesus the philosopher and Rabbi taught. Your sect has made a JUDGMENT call on the rest of humanity and the pride and certitude you exude would certainly be something Jesus was against. How do you honor ones neighbor when you assert that their beliefs are inferior and they will be damned to hell for not conforming to your own rigid ideology?

BTW, how could Jesus be the messiah when the Old Testament makes it clear that ONE messiah will come and the world will end? How can Christians rewrite their own beliefs just because Jesus did not usher in Armageddon? Could he possibly be one of the false prophets the OT warns us about? Again, the bible is clear on what will happen when the messiah comes to earth and that certainly did not happen yet leading one to safely conclude that the messiah if one exists has yet to come to earth.

BTW, that video of the young girl that all you loving Christians want to bash is very telling of your hypocrisy. According to your beliefs she can have premarital sex, not believe in the bible word for word and could even murder if she chose to you yet all would be forgiven if with her last breath she repents and asks Jesus for forgiveness.

That absolves one of all personal responsibility and even absolves one of being a "bad" Christian. Again, you value rituals set by man and the notion that you can be absolved of all sins simply by conforming to the doctrine at the very end. That strips the very notion of right and wrong that is inherent to our nature...you brainwash people into believing ones actions matter less than ones beliefs. Sounds like a piss poor ideology to me...

I posted Osteen's words because he is more general with the message he is trying to get across. He doesn't exclude other religions like other people do. Plus, he doesn't hate on others. He stays positive, which is something I admire.

Osteen doesn't shove christianity down your throat, he just gives good advice, so why reject it?